my other love

my camera is my second love. i think i love photography even more than i love decorating. it's a verrry tight race, though!

my brother and his fiancee asked if i would take their engagement pictures last weekend and i was honored to do it. here's a glimpse into some of the many we took up at my family's farm. it was a gorgeous sunday evening and the colors of the sunset were perfect.

and i've got money bet on it that my new little niece is going to be absolutely gorgeous. with these two as parents, how can she not?

martha moments: cake in a mug

okay, so this may beat the diet coke cupcakes, y'all.

and it only makes one a time, so you're not stuck being tempted with the remaining dozen plus cupcakes you have sitting on the kitchen counter. 

it's too easy.

you'll need:

1 microwavable coffee mug

1/3 cup cake mix, you choose the flavor

3 T. water

Combine cake mix and water in a mug (no need to spray with cooking spray).

Microwave for 1 minute. 

that's it. seriously!

I made the white cake mix one today for a snack and according to my calculations, it was 75 calories, and .75g fat.  

...and 100% worth all 60 seconds it took to make it!

notes:

• store the rest of the cake mix in a sealed container or ziploc bag.

• for a spongier, less dense cake, mix angel food cake mix and the regular cake mix in a ziploc bag and use 1/3 cup of that mixture instead of straight up cake mix. 

• have to have chocolate on top? drizzle with Hershey's chocolate syrup
  
  

things from my bff, goodwill

as you know, i'm thisclose to my fav store, goodwill.  (remember how i did the super genius comparison to social groups? )

yeah, well, my bff didn't disappoint me on my last round there, either.

here, a, um, lovely floral print that cost all of a quarter.

and after some chalkboard paint...

it's going in my friend lindsay's cutie patootie house!


and more treasure..an old bill sorter, a cute wooden pedestal bowl, silver candlesticks, a vase and a lantern


 loved those vintage silver candlesticks....aged just right, so i didn't do anything to them. they just found a new place on my mantle.  the little lantern got a candle and is added to my back porch and the cute little glass vase is perfect for holding skewer sticks for s'mores by the fire pit!

the little wooden pedestal became a perfect orange stand.  and that little owl beside it? oh yeah, 10 cents plus a few sprays of turquoise paint.  whooooo thinks he's cute?

and the wooden bill sorter became a sorting station for coupons, stamps and bills:

the only thing i did with this cool, vintage maryland tray was ship it off to my friend, jenn, up in her new state of maryland!  (you should get it TODAY, jenn!)  :-)

and last, but certainly not least, is a little chair that i couldn't pass up for $5.  it looked pretty ratty before i spray painted it and used up the remnants of my bird fabric.  unfortunately, i forgot to take a before photo of it, but i'll paint you mental picture.  very beat up, chestnut brown with a peach colored chair pad.  yeah, not cute.  but it sure is now!

oh, goodwill, i love you so.  it's getting pretty serious, will you accept half of my necklace?